The Lost Battlefleet
by JSUMN
Summary: And Imperial Battlefleet is lost in a warp storm and finds itself in an unknown location. They will be faced with circumstances that will put them in both mortal and moral danger. T for Possible Language and Violence. Updates irregular, this is a private project so it updates whenever the author stops being lazy and writes.
1. Chapter 1

M42 86 – Segmentum Obscurus

In the face of the Thirteenth Black Crusade, the Imperium of Man gathered as much of its forces as it could to attempt to retake worlds swallowed by the Eye of Terror in what would come to be known as the Indomitus Crusade. One such force was composed of Battlefleet Kaeverus composed of twelve capital ships and thirty-four screens, mainly cruisers. A large force of transports, carrying five million Imperial Guardsmen, accompanied the Battlefleet. Half of these were Vostroyan regiments and the rest composed of regiments from various planets from the sector. Unfortunately for the Imperium, the navigable paths of the Warp were in danger from the machinations of Chaos Undivided, as warp storms were particularly treacherous during the Black Crusades.

As the warp storm reached its apex, the ships were tossed about violently, and several of the smaller ships were lost, either their Gellar fields failing, allowing them to be swallowed by the warp, or being tossed into each other. In the deadly currents of the Warp, the larger ships were most likely to survive a storm, much like larger ships in a sea of water, their size protects them from being easily tossed around like ragdolls. Nevertheless, this was a severe warp storm, and all power was devoted to maintaining the Gellar Fields against the onslaught. On several of the smaller ships and the transports, the Gellar Fields failed, and the men aboard, hundreds of thousands, perhaps millions in total, perished. Fortunately, the most severe part of the storm passed after only a few minutes. The Gellar fields at their breaking point, Lord -Admiral Agostino Barbarigo, a heavily augmented man with head tendrils to connect to his command throne, gave the order to exit warp to prevent the total loss of the fleet.

"I want an immediate survey, what have we lost and where are we?" The answer of the officers was reassuring. They had only lost 12 ships in the storm, mostly frigates, but the loss of a _Mars_ -class battlecruiser was disconcerting, drastically reducing their firepower; however, the core of the fleet remained intact, the Admiral thanking the Golden Throne that his flagship, the _Apocalypse-_ class battleship _Littorio_ was still space-worthy. However, most of the ships were temporarily disabled, and only two capital ships and nine screens would be combat ready should they be attacked. The rest of the fleet would take anywhere from a few hours to a week to get back online.

The response from the navigator was more disconcerting, as he screamed that the light of the Astronomicon was lost and had to be restrained by the deck officers as he tried to take the Emperor's peace into his own hands.

"Get me a manual fix on our current location via star charts and scans of the system", Admiral Barbarigo demanded, beginning to grow more concerned with the sitaution. After a few minutes to run the scan and double check, the report came back that their location didn't match any known location in Imperial space. There was, however, something curious that could tell them where they were: the scans told them that they were on the edge of system, in the center of which was a large space station protected by a fleet of what appeared to be small vessels of an unknown type. It was possible that they had stumbled upon a location in a small Xenos empire in the Halo Stars. Normally, it would be a simple matter to reach the station and destroy the fleet and interrogate the inhabitants to find out where they were; however, in the fleet's weakened state, it was imperative to avoid conflict until combat-effectiveness could reach at least 50%, a state which would most likely take two or three days.

Masking his own doubts and fears to sound reassuring to the crew, the seasoned spacefarer called out, "Set up a defensive perimeter around the stricken vessels and try to intercept communications for the machine spirit to translate. Get on the intercom and announce an emergency meeting of the most important personnel in my cabin. Captain, you have the deck, I'll be in my study."

2183 – Citadel Space

In the month since Sovereign's attack on the Citadel, things had mostly returned to normal, with the station and fleet having mostly been repaired. The Council's newest Spectre, Commander Jane Shepard and her crew were recuperating on the station before heading out for their next mission, or, at least, they had been until Captain Anderson had raised her on the omnitool and ordered her to get to Citadel tower ASAP. The message was urgent from his tone of voice. When she got there, the situation seemed frantic, C-Sec personnel and bureaucrats were running about everywhere. Shepard tried to listen to their conversations, but the background noise was so loud she couldn't make anything out. To hide the stress, she plucked out a single strand of her shoulder-length black hair.

"Shepard! We're over here, we've been waiting for you", said Andersonas he reached through the crowd and guided her towards Council's chambers. At this point Shepard noticed the annoyed looks on Liara and Garrus' faces at being interrupted. She was about to ask for an explanation when Captain Anderson stopped her, "I suppose I owe you an explanation as to why we need you so urgently. Shepard, we're on the verge of making another first contact. A fleet of unknown origin has arrived on the edge of the system, and we're trying to put together a task force to make contact." Shepard was going to respond, but Liara began asking questions, clearly fascinated, but Anderson hushed her up, "That's all I know, we'll have to let the Council brief you."

The four of them spent the next several minutes in silence before Councillors Tevos, Valern, and Sparatus arrived. Despite the formality usual in such a situation, they got right into the heart of the matter

. Tevos spoke first, "Commander Shepard, as I'm sure Captain Anderson has already told you, we're in the midst of what may be the most important contact since the contact with humanity thirty years ago. As we are unable to establish direct contact with them as of now, we're putting together a task force to make contact in-person."

"Excuse me, Councillor Tevos", Shepard tried to make her interruption as polite as possible, "But wouldn't it be more prudent to send a diplomat rather than a soldier to make first contact with an unknown race? Moreover, if you must send military personnel, why not sent the Citadel fleet to investigate?"

"Well, I think I had better let Councillor Sparatus answer that, as he has more military expertise than I –"

"It is my belief, Shepard, that this is no mere expedition, but a large military fleet", Sparatus shuffled his notes as the screen displayed the fleet for the first time, to gasps at the large number of ships, "The large ships you see are around five to six kilometers in length, the smaller ones are similar in size to Sovereign. In my opinion, it would be foolish to think that this is a civilian expedition. We think that someone with a military background would be better able to relate to these people. The reason you are going alone is, well, we don't want them to feel threatened by the full size of the Citadel fleet. Much of their fleet is inactive, possibly stricken somehow, if we sent the whole fleet to make contact, they may mistake it as a hostile action and open fire."

"And, judging from the size of the ships, even the weakened force could inflict serious damage, provided their weaponry matches their size", Valern interjected, "this is a very dangerous situation, and will require all possible tact. If Sparatus is correct and this is a military expedition, try to discover their purpose. Do you understand your mission?"

"I do."

"Very good, because you depart in thirty minutes. You are dismissed."

 _Littorio_

Inside the briefing room had been gathered the most important persons the fleet had been transporting. Most importantly was Lord-Admiral Agostino Barbarigo, the commander of the fleet. Seated around him was Lord-General Pyotr Wrangel of the Vostroyan regiments, numbering two and a half million before the warp storm, now reduced to only one million-seven-hundred-thousand men. He was in full uniform for the briefing, wearing his crimson uniform beneath his golden carapace, which was adorned with the green silk sash of his rank. At his side, he carried a power sword and laspistol, and on his face he wore a white mustache, which showed his age of one-hundred and twenty-one. Seated across from him was Magos van Leeuwenhoek, the leader of the Martian tech priests assigned to the battlefleet. On the far end of the room skulked a man in a white cassock and matching wide-brim hat, wearing a rapier and adorning his chest was a Gothic 'I.' This was Inquisitor Avaakum, of the Holy Order of the Emperor's Inquisition. At sixty-four, he was young for his profession, and looked younger still thanks to his augmentations. Indeed, the only reason he had managed to reach such a high position at his age was that his piety was well-known and had earned him the patronage of many powerful men in the organization. He hadn't done much field work and delighted most in writing up reports on Imperial history from studying the archives on Terra.

But entering the room at that moment was the being held in highest esteem in the fleet. While the fleet's primary mission was to retake three systems in a counteroffensive, it's secondary objective was to escort a rare, very important cargo, back to Terra from an important diplomatic mission. This cargo was a member of the God-Emperor's most holy Custodian Guard, a five-thousand-year-old warrior by the name of Aurelianus Varro, a veteran of the relatively recent battle of Terra against the forces of Chaos. He stood at nine feet in his golden power armor, plus an additional two feet from his cone-shaped helmet and red plume. Behind him trailed a red cloak. Even unarmed as he was in the briefing room, he was a terrible sight; at his entrance, everyone made the sign of the Aquila, and it became clear that the reason the Inquisitor had parked himself by the door was to ask the Custodian for a blessing for what seemed like the thousandth time on the long voyage.

"Gentlemen, I am glad that you all came so quickly, as it is extremely urgent. As we came out of the warp storm, we discovered that we have become drastically off course, our current location is unknown," the Admiral paused to allow everyone in the room to take in this information, but it appeared that none were particularly shocked after experiencing the violence of the storm. "What is perhaps more interesting, is that we have come out of warp in a system with a large space station, guarded by a fleet of small vessels of clear Xenos origin. Magos van Leeuwenhoek has been working on a translation of their language from their vox transmissions. Magos, would you like to explain your findings?"

A mechanical, raspy voice answered back, "The transmission we have intercepted have shown that the owners of the station are a confederation of multiple Xenos species, but what is most alarming is that among the Xenos are vile so-called humans who are consorting with them, even being subservient to them!"

"An outrage!" the Inquisitor interrupted, "Admiral, you must purge this heretical scum with utmost haste. Tell your crew to man their battlestations and blast this station apart with our novacannons." As the inquisitor finished, the Vostroyan commander nodded, but looked at the Admiral, clearly expecting a good reason for the delay in the destruction of the heretics.

"I share your concerns", boomed the custodian in the room, "but I am sure a man as seasoned as the Lord-Admiral has good reasons for not acting as quickly as you suggest. In warp storms as severe as the one which struck us, it is not uncommon for fleets to be heavily damaged or even destroyed. We're lucky to have come out alive, but many of our compatriots aboard the other ships may not have been so lucky."

"You are correct, noble custodian", the Admiral replied, grateful to have received backing from the only one in the room who fully outranked the Inquisitor. "Our position is relatively weak right now and the fleet is at only about fifteen percent combat effectiveness. We will have to find a way to delay conflict for the three days it will take to reach minimum desired combat effectiveness. If forced to fight by this enemy, we will do so, but in our current state, we can't guarantee that we won't take heavy losses."

The heavily accented voice of the Vostroyan commander spoke up for the first time, "I'm personally rather grateful to have some time to prepare the attack on the station, if we had only a few hours to prepare, we would have to cut corners. Cutting corners means more of my guardsmen die, and I can't have that", the Lord-General was a rather kind-hearted man for his profession, and he was known to be affectionate towards his men, a trait that the fleet would find useful now that their resources were so limited.

The intercom from the bridge sounded, "Lord-Admiral, your presence is requested immediately on the bridge. Sorry to interrupt, sir, but it's incredibly urgent."

SSV _Normandy_

The _Normandy_ had been slowly (for the _Normandy_ ) approaching the fleet for the past five minutes, and had begun broadcasting, "Unknown fleet, identify yourselves, please respond", on loop for the entire time. They had hoped moving closer would elicit a response by now. Wrex was the first to speak, "Shepard, I've got a bad feeling about this: if they're friendly, they sure aren't showing it. I say we call the Citadel fleet and have blow those ships to smithereens before these guys try anything funny."

"That wasn't very funny, I can't believe you would openly joke about starting a war with an unknown civilization simply because you have a bad feeling about them", Liara countered. She had been fascinated with the new arrivals since she had heard about them and marveled at the size of their vessels. Since she had Shepard wrapped around her finger, it was a given that she would be on the team that made first contact. "Besides, I'm sure we have a lot to learn from a race that has such… megalithic architecture."

The metallic voice of the Turian, Garrus Vakarian, laughed, "Ha! Megalithic, that's one way to put it. Those ships may be big, but that architecture sure isn't pretty."

"Can you guys be a little more professional?" Shepard said, "I'd rather the history books not say that we started a war by insulting their arch—."

"Ma'am, this is Joker, they're responding."

"Well, what are you waiting for, put them on screen!"  
"Based on your conversation, I thought you guys might want a bit of warning," Joker's crack elicited a smile. "Alright, they're on screen in 3…2…1…"

The appearance of the man on screen was almost frightening at first: he was disfigured and covered in cybernetics, not like the ones they had encountered before, but large, bulky, almost crude in a way, but perhaps what was most shocking was that he was, more or less, human. It was such a shock at first that Jane couldn't find the words until the man spoke, "I am Lord-Admiral Barbarigo, commander of Battlefleet Kaeverus, and servant of the God-Emperor of Mankind." That confirmed it, what they thought had been a new alien civilization was clearly human, but it was still unknown. Whoever built those ships wasn't with the Alliance, nor even Cerberus; nothing known could have built such massive ships, and no one worshipped a "God-Emperor of Mankind." It also confirmed Sparatus' conclusion that it was a military expedition.

"This is Commander Jane Shepard, Citadel Spectre", Jane waited to see if the title or name got any attention, but she didn't notice any on the Admiral's face, "We would like to bring you aboard the Citadel to meet the council, so that we can learn more about your people, your way of life, and your purpose. We come in peace and want to open diplomatic relations."

There was clear strain on in the Admiral's expression, he clearly didn't like the idea of going aboard a space station of a civilization he just met. He pondered for a few seconds that seemed like an eternity, "I think it would be best… if you came aboard our ship first. We'll open the hangar and please give us a few minutes to prepare a welcome party." With that, he ended the transmission, almost as quickly as he started it.

"Well, that could have gone worse I suppose. Liara, Garrus, and Wrex, suit up and get ready to go to the hanger. Joker, send the Citadel a status update: we're going to take them up on their offer."

 _Littorio_

Lord-Admiral Barbarigo returned to the briefing room clearly disturbed, Lord-General Wrangel was eager to know what reduced his old war companion to such, "Agostino, are you alright? You look like you've seen a daemon."  
"I-I've agreed to allow a party to come aboard the ship."

"You did what!?" Avaakum approached the table and beat his fist down on it, "These people are heretics, and you're going to allow them to sully this great vessel with their filthy feet with the same dignity as if they were trueborn servants of the Emperor? It is not enough that there are Xenos among them, as the Xeno cannot help his perfidious nature, but the heretic is the most vile of all creatures, for he has a noble nature, and rejects it! This is treason, Lord-Admiral, and you could pay for it with your life", the Inquisitor looked around the room to gauge everyone's reaction to what he had said, before calming down and finishing, "but we are in a dire situation, and, given the circumstances, I can understand why you would make such a decision. However, Admiral, you must guard yourself and your men from the influence of heresy. We may yet suffer for this."

"It will please you to know, Inquisitor", Barbarigo responded, "that I intend to make sure that they don't leave the hangar."

Lord-General Wrangel interjected. "Then I'll assemble an honor guard and prepare to meet them, I'll negotiate with them as a soldier to a soldier. I'll only need about fifty grenadiers and a couple of autocannon crews to make sure we can keep their lander in place."

"I must object to your plan, Lord-General", the Inquisitor stopped him, "I agree with your ideas for guarding the hangar, but you are too valuable a member of our party to risk in an assassination scenario. If you are killed without even having a chance to give battle, it would gravely harm the morale of the Imperial Guard forces with the fleet. For the same reason, the Lord-Admiral cannot go. Both of you have expertise that cannot be risked at this time. I have only a small security detail and no connections with the fleet, I'll go to the meeting."

"Out of the question, we're in trying times, inquisitor, and we can't risk you. You're the only one here who can keep us all on the right path, and your counsel will be needed in the coming days," Agostino replied. "The same goes for the Magos, I forbid the two of you to go to that meeting, it's non-negotiable." Avaakum looked somewhat disappointed that he was being pushed out of history so easily. He had imagined someone like him hundreds of years from now reading about how he had first met these heretics and killed them.

They spent the next few minutes pondering what to do until finally their golden compatriot decided for them, "I will go", the rest of the party wanted to object, but none could find the words to argue with one of the Ten Thousand Companions. "I am the only one here that these people would be unable to harm, it only makes sense that I go. I would not be in danger from whatever weapon they could bring to bear. Such concerns as assassination would be totally irrelevant."

The group was still in shock, and the Vostroyan commander even made the sign of the Aquila again. The Magos responded, "It is surely not a coincidence that the Omnissiah sent us here with a Custodian. We submit to your wise judgement, guardian of the Omnissiah."

"I'll make my way down there now, Lord-General, assemble the guard, I'll be ready to receive them when you are."

 _Littorio_ Hangar

Aurelianus watched as the tiny shuttle entered the hangar. It was unnoticeable to those around him due to his helm, but he was somewhat excited. He was a relatively new addition to the Ten Thousand, having only been created in M37, and had spent the first four thousand years of his life listening to the stories of the remaining Custodians created by the Emperor before the Age of the Imperium. There were only about three hundred left, but when he was still young, there were as many as one thousand. Aurelianus, like every Custodian before and since, had memorized the oral history of the Emperor's guardians, and the divine heritage of his mantle was something he took great pride in. He had grown up listening to great heroes tell stories of battling now-extinct Xenos during the Great Crusade, the ferocious fighting of the Horus Heresy and the War in the Webway, and the savagery of the Beast's attempt to take Holy Terra. He already had made for himself bardic tales of the battle for Terra during the Thirteenth Black Crusade, as many others had done, but now he was on the cusp of becoming the first Custodian since the Great Crusade to subjugate unknown Xenos species. It was also clear that the Lord-General understood the importance of this event, or, rather, wanted to impress him. The honor guard he had assembled for the meeting was fifty of the strongest men in the regiments, all at least two meters tall, and all in their finest regalia, which, given they were soldiers of Vostroya, really meant something.

Jane Shepard heard Tali gasp when they entered the hangar and wanted desperately to know what was going on outside, "Tali, talk to me, in the troop compartment we're blind."

"It's really best if you see it for yourself, Shepard."

"What the hell was that supposed to mean", Garrus asked.

"It means be ready for anything", Wrex answered, making sure his shotgun was easy to reach if he needed it.

As soon as they felt the lander touch down, they leapt out of their seats and prepared themselves for first contact. The ramp lowered, and they walked out into the hanger below. It seemed that these people had really rolled out the red carpet: there was an honor guard of tall, well-dressed men who were drilled well, but when they saw Garrus, Wrex, and Liara, many of them could help stares, not stares of mere curiosity, but almost hateful stares; it occurred to Jane that maybe these people weren't on friendly terms with the aliens they had met previously, perhaps run-ins with Batarian slavers?

But what caught the most attention was the behemoth standing directly across from them, a golden thing in humanoid shape that was three-and-a-half meters tall by her estimation with red cloth on its back and groin, and a plume on top of its head. She thought it was a little elaborate for a mech, and then she wondered if perhaps there was a person inside of it, maybe a mech piloted by a person. Then she remembered that the Admiral had said he was a "servant of the God-Emperor of Mankind" and wondered if this was what they thought was a god. If it was a man, it was pretty impressive, but she wasn't sure it could be considered a god. As they reached the end of the row of soldiers, she reached out her hand to the thing, which was clearly supposed to greet them: "I'm Commander Jane Shepard, representing the Citadel Council, and it's my pleasure and honor to welcome you to the galactic community.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter II**

It occurred to Shepard that it might not be a good idea to extend her hand to something that could crush it but was surprised when the giant took her hand gently and shook once up-and-down, saying "I am Aurelianus Varro, Custodian of the Golden Throne." Shepard thought of this title for a moment and wondered what it meant. The respect the others in the room showed him clearly meant that he wasn't a mere janitor, she pondered on the second part of the title "of the Golden Throne", perhaps he was some kind of regent? She didn't have time to ask him before he interrupted her train of thought, "Tell me more about this 'galactic community.'"

The request took Shepard somewhat aback, she took a few seconds to collect her thoughts before answering. "The space station you see over there is the Citadel, the center of galactic civilization, from there, the Council makes decisions which are binding for all the species in Citadel space," pointing at the members of her team, she named the species of the Citadel, "the Asari, Turians, and… well, we don't have Salarian with us, but this is a Krogan. They're not nominally part of the Council races, but they serve as mercenaries throughout the galaxy."

Now it was Aurelianus' turn to be perplexed. If what this envoy said was true, there was a whole galaxy under control of a confederation of Xenos races and heretics. Yet, she showed no signs of deception, and even had new Xenos races with her to back up her point. He wondered if they had somehow ended up in one of the satellite galaxies orbiting the Milky Way, colonized during the Dark Age of Technology. Despite sensing no trickery, he decided to stick to his guns. "That isn't possible, the God-Emperor of Mankind united the entire galaxy under human rule ten-thousand years ago in the Great Crusade."

Shepard just knew this day was going to get even more confusing. First there was a new civilization, then they were another _human_ civilization outside of the Systems Alliance, and now they claimed suzerainty over the entire galaxy. This would be a difficult negotiation if these people weren't even going to accept the basic premise of the existence of Citadel Space. She thought it was just BS, but she had to be more diplomatic than that. "Well, you can look for yourself and see on the star charts that the Citadel controls much of the known galaxy."

The Custodian interrupted her, anger in his voice, " _Our_ star charts how our position as unknown, which means that either we're on the galactic fringe beyond the Emperor's light, or we're in a different galaxy altogether."

Shepard resisted the urge to defend herself from the outburst, "I'm just telling you what I know to be true, we'll send your Admiral our star charts as a sign of good faith, but I think it's best if we move on from this topic." After the giant nodded his assent, she continued. "over two-thousand years ago, the Asari and Salarians first discovered the Citadel at the central hub of the mass relays and established the Citadel Council to govern the galaxy. Among the first issues that plagued the Citadel Council were the Rachni, an insectoid race that nearly destroyed the Council until the Salarians uplifted the Krogan to sentience to defeat them. However, the Krogan turned on the Council, seeking a more equal position to their former masters." Shepard caught Wrex wince, despite her attempts to sound as neutral as possible in her telling of history. "After the defeat of the Krogan through biological warfare, the Council endured peace for over a thousand years until the Quarians –", Shepard pointed to the cockpit of the shuttle, and for the first time it became clear the newcomers that the pilot wasn't human – "created the Geth, a machine race that sought to overthrow the Quarians and establish their own empire. Since then, the Quarians have lived in their flotilla aboard large cargo vessels called 'lifeships.'

As Shepard told the history of the Citadel races, Aurelianus saw in their tale the lessons that the Imperium had learned long ago, continuing to be made by these people. They should have known after the Krogan rebellion that the Xeno was perfidious, to betray that which had given them life was the supreme arrogance. Then he heard how the Quarians had created an Abominable Intelligence which had destroyed them, much as humanity was nearly destroyed in the Dark Age of Technology by the Men of Iron.

Shepard continued, "About thirty years ago, humanity became a space-faring race and discovered the Turians, resulting in the First Contact War, which ended when the Citadel Council revealed itself and welcomed humanity to the galactic community. Since then, with the help of the Council, humanity has entered a period of prosperity unmatched throughout its history." Shepard decided to leave out the recent attack on the Citadel by Sovereign and the Geth, fearing that she might give information that could be harmful to the Council. "So, that's a brief history of us, do you want to tell anything about yours?"

Aurelianus was made nervous about the prospect of revealing information. It was possible that the wrong information could place the fleet or even the wider Imperium in danger; however, he knew that there was some history he could speak of freely. "Eleven-thousand years ago, the God-Emperor of Mankind united the warring tribes of techno-barbarians using his genetically engineered Thunder Warriors, as well as his elite bodyguard, the Adeptus Custodes, of which I have been a member for over four-thousand years." He paused to delight in the shock of the revelation that he was older than their entire civilization. "After this, he created His sons, the Primarchs, and their Astartes legions. Super soldiers who went out in His name to conquer the galaxy for humanity. After over two-hundred years, the Great Crusade was finished, with the entire galaxy united under the Emperor's banner. Then, several of the Emperor's traitorous sons rebelled against their father and struck him a mortal wound. Since then, the God-Emperor has ruled from the confines of the Golden Throne, guiding humanity through the light of the Astronomicon."

Aurelianus thought it best that he leave out that the Great Crusade and much of the Imperium's history had consisted of the extermination of Xenos and Xenos-collaborators, as this could reveal their intentions and cause a pre-emptive attack before they were ready to defend themselves.

The most shocking thing about his statement was his insistence that he was over four-thousand years old. Shepard wasn't sure if the giant was testing her or telling the truth, and it was difficult to tell due to the helmet covering his face. Other than that, she had hoped for a more expansive history, or even one more plausible than the one she had heard. She decided that she had no choice but to pretend to believe it though, as he seemed unwilling to divulge more information. There was another pressing question that had to be asked: "So, why are you here?"

It was a less sensitive question to ask, as he could honestly say that they hadn't come here with hostile intentions, regardless of any fostered now. "We didn't intend to come here. A warp storm blew us dramatically off course, and we are lost."

"Excuse me", Liara asked with eagerness in her voice, "Could you tell us what a 'warp storm' is? I have never heard of such a phenomenon."

Aurelianus almost burst out laughing at what he thought was a joke, but he quickly saw that this was a serious question. "How is it that you've never experienced a warp storm? The Warp has been an extremely dangerous place to traverse for over a hundred years from the start of the Thirteenth Black Crusade. Even the smallest children know to fear them."

"And where is this 'Warp'?", continued Liara.

"Don't be coy with me, alien, I know that your race has warp drives that allow you to travel the stars, and the only way to do this is with warp travel." Aurelianus used bravado to cover his anxiety at the thought that these aliens could have created their own form of the Eldar Webway.

Shepard answered in Liara's place, angry at the treatment her friend's question had been met with. "There's no need to be rude, Liara was just asking a question. We don't know anything about a 'Warp', we use the Mass Relays and Element Zero for FTL travel. Just a suggestion, but being nice to people interested in your culture and technology will help you in the future."

Shepard and her crew were lucky that the Emperor's genetic engineering allowed the Adeptus Custodes incredible control over their emotion, as such a slight would be worthy of death. It was an insult to have to negotiate with heretics and Xenos under any circumstances, it was an outrage to be lectured by one on manners. Before Aurelianus could correct her, she spoke again. "If it's not too much trouble, we've noticed that several of your ships are in rough shape, we would like to offer assistance as a sign of goodwill, and we would also like to extend a formal invitation for anyone of your choice to come to the Citadel as a cultural ambassador."

Aurelianus would have to confer with the Inquisitor for the use of his powers as a psyker to see through any treachery, but it appeared that the diplomatic ruse was working on these people, and that they were willing to not only sit around and allow the fleet to rebuild, but to even help in the process of rebuilding. However, it appeared that they were smart enough to take a hostage in doing so. "I will have to confer with the other senior crew members to determine if we may accept, but your offer is duly noted. Is there anything else you would like to discuss?"

"Unfortunately, that's about all I'm qualified or allowed to discuss. I'm a soldier, not a diplomat, and the Council will be much more extensive than me. However, if you do decide to come to the Council, I'm sure we'll be seeing more of each other." Shepard tried to sound hopeful when she added that last part, as otherwise Liara might have burst into tears at the thought of missing out on learning more about these newcomers.

"Thank you for considering the offer, I'd really like to stay longer, but I'm not authorized, and I need to make my report to the Citadel Council. I hope we'll see each other again soon." With that, the four made their way back to the lander and left the hangar to return to the Normandy and make their report. "What's with the silence, guys, tell me your impressions."

"A bit xenophobic for my tastes", Garrus answered first, having spent most of the meeting observing rather than speaking. "The way he talked down to Liara rubbed me the wrong way."

"We can't know what their prior experiences with aliens are, they could have what they think are good reasons to be suspicious", Liara countered. "Personally, I'm more interested in the one they referred to as the 'God-Emperor.' He is clearly a religious figure, and, I would assume, possibly mythological rather than real."

"It did sound mythological, but the guy sounded like he knew it to be true, and he claimed to be one of his guards for over four millennia." Garrus replied incredulously.

Shepard broke in, "I'm certain the Council will just love it: a theocratic human monarchy with people who live thousands of years. Either way, I'm certain we'll here more about this God-Emperor when and if they decide to accept the Council's invitation. Wrex, you're awfully quiet over there, what do you think… Wrex?"

The three turned to the Krogan battlemaster to find him nervously twitching. Finally, he gathered his thoughts. "I think we're out of our league." The tension in the room could be cut with a knife. "When you've been fighting as long as I have, you can recognize a warrior on sight along. That golden thing you were talking to? He's a warrior, and he wasn't lying about being around for four-thousand years. They didn't send him there for his tact, they sent him because he could have killed us even without that security detail."

"How can you tell?" Garrus asked, a tinge of worry in his voice.

"Just call it instinct, the way he carried himself. The basics." Wrex replied. "He wasn't just big, he was unusually fast for his size, and that armor he was wearing would stop anything we can shoot at him. I hope he's not the one they send to the Citadel, because he would be a security nightmare if he tries anything."

Shepard was used to trusting Wrex's instincts, and if Wrex was worried, it seemed like a good idea to be worried, but she also knew the stakes of acting hastily. "That's good to know, Wrex, but we need more than hunches if we're going to start a war. We have no proof that they're planning anything dangerous, so we shouldn't act as if we know they're going to. Prepare for the worst? Yes. Make the worst happen because we want to be prepared? That's a self-fulfilling prophecy. Either way, when we get back to the Normandy, we need to send the video of the meeting to the Citadel for analysis and let them decide what precautions to take."

"And if they don't take any?" Garrus asked skeptically.

Shepard smiled, "Then I guess we'll have to decide for them."

 _Littorio_ , briefing room

"Are they really going to just let us repair our ships?" the Lord-Admiral said. "Do you think they're naiive or just stupid?"

Aurelianus continued his report, "It's hard to tell, but perhaps the Inquisitor could enlighten us."

The men in the room turned towards Avaakum. He was one of the few psykers aboard the ship, and, while he wasn't particular powerful, the warp in this place was very calm, almost primordial in its tranquility, and he had been able to monitor the thoughts of the interlopers from the bridge of the Littorio. "I tried but could not detect any treachery. I think we should take them up on their offer. if we decide to go through with our assault, it will mean that one of us can be on the station and disable its defenses."

The Custodian groaned in his armor at the thought that he would have to entreat with heretics and aliens again but was interrupted by the Inquisitor. "By my right as an Inquisitor of the Ordo Malleus, I am taking command here. I will be the one to board their vessel with my retinue, and I will treat with these Xenos. I may be out of my element with no daemons to fight, but I'm the best judge of what information can be revealed, I'm a psyker, and my retinue will be able to move quickly to disable their defenses. If it makes any of you feel better, I will keep my rosarius with me."

The silence in the room was incredible. No one had expected the Inquisitor to take this option. Now that he had formally exercised his authority, there was no man there who could defy him and be within their rights. The question was settled, but the men were still eager to question him as to his intentions. Lord-General Wrangel was the first to break the silence, "Will you need any support from my men? How much of your retinue on you bringing? Do you think it will be sufficient?"

"I will make the initial approach from one of the frigates, but I will dock with them using a standard assault boat. I can fit most of my retinue on there, I shall take with me the noble Custodian, as well as thirty Inquisitorial stormtroopers. Such a strike force will be strong enough to clear most opposition, but small enough to travel relatively unhindered."

Magos van Leeuwenhoek was the next to speak, "You should also bring along one of my tech priests. It is unlikely you will be able to interface with their technology to disable their defenses without the help of an experienced member of the Mechanicus." The Inquisitor nodded his agreement and departed the room to return to his ship and prepare for the rendezvous.

 _Normandy_

The shock was plain on the faces of the Councilors as they watched the video. "Shepard", Sparatus asked, "This had better not be some hidden project of the Alliance. If humanity has been hiding such a development from us, there will be hell to pay."

Tevos was more cautious, "I trust our human allies to have not done such a thing, what are the chances that they could have ties to these humans or have even created them?"

"I have to agree", said Valern, "Not because of trust, but technicality. These humans are clearly more advanced than the Alliance. Ships are too big, advanced genetic engineering, etc. etc."

"They don't have to have created this threat, they just have to have concealed it from us." Sparatus countered.

"Pardon me, Councilor," Shepard stopped him, "but if they were with us, why would they have reacted with hostility when we argued with them? I can't speak for Alliance command, but I was completely unaware of them until today." Sparatus had no counter.

Tevos changed the line of thought to cover Sparatus the embarrassment. "Either way, we must learn more about these people, their polity, and their religious beliefs. I hope that, if they agree to come aboard the Citadel, they will be more willing to divulge information about their history and their… 'God-Emperor.'"

"Ma'am, this is Joker, we're being hailed, they might be responding to your offer."

"Add them to the transmission, Joker." Shepard asked after getting confirmation from the Council. "Lord-Admiral, it's great that you could join us." Shepard greeted him without alluding to the council, as he couldn't see them on his end, they were simply listening in."

"Shepard, we have agreed to your request for a diplomatic meeting aboard your station. Inquisitor Avaakum will be coming to dock within the next few hours. Barbarigo out." The transmission cut out as abruptly as it began, clearly something had gotten on the Admiral's nerves sometime between her departure from the vessel and the transmission."

"Well, that was kind of rude. At least they accepted the invitation." Shepard told the council.

"Yes" Tevos said, "We need to gather a welcome party. Shepard, you and your team will be among the welcoming party as they have some experience with you, and you will help them adjust to their surroundings and help to interview them throughout their stay. We're entrusting you with a lot here, but we trust in your ability. Don't let us down." Sparatus huffed at what she said as the transmission ended.


	3. Chapter 3

_Author's note: Sorry for the late installment, guys, but it's the time of the year where I'm loaded with classwork and church at the same time, so I didn't have a chance to work on this for about a week-and-a-half. This story is still being worked on, but I should clarify what I'm going for with this. I think a lot of crossover fanfics go overboard with the drama; many of them are the length of major novels like LotR and a couple run as long as Leo Tolstoy's masterpieces. The length of this story is going to be more like a short story of novella. There will still be a lot to come, but it's not going to be a perpetual thing that runs for a years' long cycle._

 **Chapter III**

The preparations for the landing on the Citadel had reached their peak. Inquisitor Avaakum, Custodian Varro, and thirty Inquisitorial Stormtroopers were making the final approach to the station, each armed, trying to maintain the premise of being on honor guard, but hoping they could maintain the element of surprise when the time came to become a strike force. "Noble Custodian," the Inquisitor inquired, "I sense an emotion I didn't think Custodians were capable of. Not fear, but anxiety. What's wrong, I thought such heroes didn't feel anxiety before battle?"

"Just because someone is anxious, Inquisitor, doesn't mean they are anxious for their own sake." Aurelianus spoke in a somber tone. "Already on our mission, over one million Guardsmen and naval personnel have been lost. That is over one million who died before ever being able to serve their Emperor in combat. What a fate, to perish before martyrdom can be achieved. I fear nothing, Inquisitor, but my heart aches for comrades lost."

The Inquisitor was clearly taken aback by what the Custodian had said, stunned by the thought that the Emperor's greatest angels would show such sentiment, perhaps even pity for those so much lower than himself.

Aurelianus saw this and seized on the moment. "Inquisitor, did I tell you what happened to the great Custodian Maximimus Thrax?" The Inquisitor indicated the negative. "Before the Battle of Terra in the Thirteenth Black Crusade, he was one of five-hundred Custodians who still lived from the time when the Emperor walked the Earth. In his life, he embodied those virtues the Emperor instilled in us, which is why we were shocked when he went missing as the forces of Chaos approached. He was nowhere to be found, and we nearly struck his name from the records as a coward."

"Why would a Custodian desert his post? I thought you were all loyal without question." The Inquisitor gasped.

"I'm getting to that, Inquisitor," Aurelianus continued, "When the battle had ended, we began hearing tales from the survivors of the clash at a civilian shelter located some hundred kilometers from the Imperial Palace. They said that an unknown Custodian had arrived during the battle for the shelter and instructed the Imperial Guard to evacuate the women and children while he held back the forces of Chaos. For thirty hours he held the entrance to the compound until he had fallen, having accomplished his mission. When we investigated, it was as the survivors told us. Maximimus was found dead at the entrance, with the corpses of fifty Fallen Astartes at his feet. Almost all of those he saved are dead now, either past their earthly lifespans or died in service of the Emperor. Do you know why he did it, Inquisitor?"

"Perhaps he was oversentimental? He could have been of greater use elsewhere or have gone on to render thousands of years more service to the Emperor." Avaakum balked at the tale of heroism.

Aurelianus finished his lesson, "No, Inquisitor, it is because he knew that the Emperor created his greatest warriors as a bulwark against terror, and as defenders of humanity. Those who are greater than human must remember to not forget their humanity. We fight just as much for those who cannot fight as we do for the Emperor. This is what the Emperor wanted. The Emperor loved humanity enough to entomb Himself on the Golden Throne, to be tortured for over one-hundred centuries for the sake of those He loved. By taking command, you have placed a great burden on yourself and if you take it all upon yourself, you will fail. You have at your command experienced men whose advice you must trust if we are to succeed.

Inquisitor Avaakum replied with a humility in his tone the Custodian had not yet heard from him, "You have my word that I will do everything in my power to save this fleet and the men in it. Not only for the Emperor, but for their own sakes as well. Over a million men have already died in His service here. I won't let that number increase." Aurelianus smiled in his helmet at the sincerity of the Inquisitor. He could tell that his dedication to his purpose was a firmly-held belief, and not merely an occupation.

"Inquisitor," the pilot broke in on the intercom as the assault boat shifted in its position, "We're here."

As they exited the lander, they noticed that there was less pomp than they had expected from such a xenophilic culture and knew that something was amiss. It wasn't that they had walked into an ambush: the welcoming party was only twenty strong, including the four that had met them in the hanger aboard the _Littorio_ , with the others in combat uniform.

Citadel

Shepard and her team were still the welcoming party on this mission, but they had been given a platoon of C-Sec officers to help with any necessities. The Council still wanted this kept under wraps, and her mission was to escort the diplomatic party to a dormitory near citadel tower to prepare for the formal reception. She wondered, though, how it would be possible to escort them to the apartments unseen when one of them was three meters tall and they had brought at least two-dozen heavily armed soldiers as an escort.

Shepard introduced herself to the new arrival, the Inquisitor, he was styled, and, judging from the religious garments, it may have something in common with the Inquisitors that terrorized Spain earlier in human history. "The Inquisitor, I presume?" Avaakum nodded his head confirming her suspicion. "I'm commander Jane Shepard. Your friend there has already met myself and my team: Dr. Liara T'Soni, Garrus Vakarian, and Urdnot Wrex. We will be your briefing team for your upcoming meeting with the Citadel Council. First, we must escort you to a secure location for your briefing. Do you have any questions before we begin?"

Avaakum stirred with disgust. By the Emperor! The aliens are even more hideous in person, he thought. And, the horror, one in cruel imitation of the human form. Most of the foreign creatures in the party were most likely only treacherous to an ordinary standard, but there was something particularly vile about an alien that could imitate the human form. Perhaps this species are shapeshifters, lulling their enemies into a false sense of security with a familiar shape?

"No, Commander, I have no questions, you may proceed with your objective." Though the Inquisitor's instincts told him to suspect heretic and xeno treachery at this juncture, his psyker abilities detected no malice. The thought crossed his mind that they might be able to hide their feelings if they were also psykers, but if that were the case, he should be able to feel the effort they were going through to do so. It also occurred to him that such a liberal confederation of alien species might simply be extremely naive about the workings of the universe, and not expect to be killed at the end of their usefulness. If they were willing to go so far as to unreservedly treat with servants of the Emperor, they might even be willing to submit to humanity. When he had the chance, it would be imperative to impress them with Imperial propaganda.

"In that case, we'd like to get moving so we can get started with the interview as soon as possible. If you don't mind, follow us please. Oh, and try not to make much commotion. We want to get this done with you being seen by as few people as possible." Shepard knew that would be the hard part, one thing they had on their side was that it was "night" on the Citadel. Not night as in being dark, it was never dark on the Citadel after all, but simply the time where most shops and businesses on the citadel weren't open, with the obvious exceptions of bars, pubs, nightclubs, and other such institutions. Because there was generally so little to do at this time, most people went home and slept until the station was more active again in the "morning." Another thing their team had on their side was that C-Sec had cleared the streets for most of the walk. However, Shepard was still certain that there would be rumors all over the extranet about the giant and heavily armed men walking the Citadel at night with a C-Sec escort. Either way, thankfully, they had made it to the Citadel tower complex within twenty minutes, only noticing a few people peering through their windows and taking pictures.

The Imperials took in their surroundings, noting that the architecture and interior design of the building they were being lodged it was very different than what they were used to. Unlike an Imperial chapel or ship, which are darkly lit, dreary places adorned with religious motifs, the rooms of the Citadel were bright and clean, and lacking ornamentation of almost any kind, with the style's blandness being an intentional attempt to create a space which didn't try to assault the eyes into submission. "Well, Inquisitor," Shepard began, "If you'd like to make yourself comfortable, we can begin whenever you'd like to." Avaakum did as she asked, but the request was somewhat awkward for Aurelianus, given that none of the furniture in the room was large enough for him to sit. It mattered little, though, he was used to standing from his time in the Imperial Palace.

 _Littorio_

While the Inquisitor prepared the way, the plan was still being formulated. "Agreeing so hastily to a summit was reckless, Agostino, we don't fully know what their ground forces are capable of." Lord-General Wrangel expressed his dismay with his usual frankness. Several campaigns with Lord-Admiral Barbarigo, had made them not only comrades, but also close friends, and little was hidden between them. "Having such a small force on the ground could be a liability in battle. We'll need to closely monitor their movements to make sure we can protect them. What I propose is, once we are combat ready, to use our capital ships to engage as a diversion, while our screens move in close to the station and fire boarding torpedoes to quickly overwhelm their defenses. We cannot have the ground team fighting on its own on that station. If we have fifty men on each torpedo, with heavier weapons on board some others, we can create several formidable bridgeheads aboard the station in a short time. This would distract and divide their forces, firstly allowing the ground team to reach their target mostly unmolested, but also minimizing casualties when attacking the station directly. We don't have many men, so our best strategy is a powerful first strike so that, when we meet resistance, it will only be brief."

"I think you might be getting ahead of yourself," Agostino replied. "We still have a mission to attend to, and starting a war with a xenos confederation is a considerable departure from that mission. I think we should refrain from an all-out attack unless we find it necessary."

The mechanical voice of Magos van Leeuwenhoek chimed in. "It may not be our decision to make, unfortunately. We have tried to determine our location using every method available to us, but even if we were to discover our location, we would need to occupy the station. While not as powerful as the Astronomicon beacon, the station does carry a powerful warp signature that could _theoretically_ be used to light our way through the warp within a maximum distance of twenty-five thousand light-years. We must first occupy the station to seize its star charts to discover our location, then we will need to be able to ensure that the station continues to project its warp signature, so we can use it to navigate."

"That doesn't make hostilities certain. We can still negotiate and make demands without starting a war," the Lord-Admiral replied, confident in his reasoning.

Pyotr responded with a compromise, "You're right, we can still accomplish this goal and not attack, but you know the saying: 'hope for the best but prepare for the worst'; even if we aren't going to attack, we need to be prepared to attack in case hostilities are necessary. We don't want to be caught with our pants down by a potential enemy."

"Of course," Barbarigo explained, "I wasn't saying you couldn't proceed with the planning, but let's not go so far in our preparations that we can't steer away from the course if it's possible. You said yourself that you want to minimize the possibility for casualties. It follows from that, that no casualties is the most preferable situation. That's all I'm asking that we consider. You know that there are protocols forbidding individual fleet commanders from attacking Eldar craftworlds, yes? We are not required to exterminate all xenos we come across, the Emperor and the High Lords give us the right to use our discretion, and we have a more important mission at play here that takes priority."

"How can we trust heretics and xenos to treat fairly with us when we make our demands?" the Magos inquired skeptically.

"We can't trust them, but we do have a psyker with us." Wrangel spoke of course of the Inquisitor, "as long as we have him, we can tell what their intentions are, and respond accordingly. If he tells us they have peaceful intentions, we go along our way and report this confederation to the Ordo Xenos, if they are perfidious, we go with Plan B. Is that a compromise we can all live with?" Those in the room responded in the affirmative, but doubts lingered in everyone's mind.

Citadel

"Before we get started with the cultural questions," Shepard started, "We want to know the question that's on everyone's mind: what is your purpose? You showed up with a large military fleet, but you haven't seemed very hostile, what gives?"

Avaakum and Aurelianus were annoyed. Shepard had asked this question at the first meeting. Despite their annoyance, they weren't surprised, and had to recognize that her concerns were reasonable and well-founded. "As the Custodian explained, we are simply lost. As to being a military fleet, we are on campaign, but not against anyone you know. The Imperium of Man is currently embroiled in a counteroffensive to an invasion and has marshalled an immense force of which we are only a small portion. Our intent is to repair our ships and return to our mission, and we would hope to receive some degree of help in doing so. Our star charts are of no use here and our navigational abilities are significantly limited." The Inquisitor answered, partly truthful. That was the best kind of lie to tell, as it didn't cause as much mental stress as a bold-faced lie.

There were a few moments of silence with an air of disappointment in the air, Shepard was the first one to break the tension. "So, you don't intend to stay and learn more about the Council?"

"There are more pressing matters at the moment; however, it is possible that I will alert my colleagues who specialize in alien life to return here." Avaakum explained, leaving out what it was his colleagues might do once they arrived. "There's just too much at stake with the war to be distracted, even by first contact events."

"As disappointing as that is for us, I understand, I've been fighting war for much of my life, so I know how hard it is to have to stand by while a battle is raging." Shepard was famous for the battles she fought, but it was no less mentally challenging to not fight while others are dying.

"Or to be the survivor of a battle that was lost." Shepard winced at Avaakum's remark. The Inquisitor had often thought it to be amusing to use his powers as a psyker to tell people things from their past, so he had to stop himself from chuckling as Shepard and her companions shared a look of bewilderment.

"Well, I think that's enough on that issue for now." Shepard said with an expression that almost made Avaakum regret bringing up what had happened to her unit. "Liara, would you like to get started on the cultural part of the briefing?" The blue humanoid's eyes lit up like a child being asked to pick out a toy at a store as she took out a list of questions she had hastily prepared for this moment.

The giddy alien took a few seconds to compose herself before beginning. "To start things off, Inquisitor. In human history, Inquisitors were religious figures who investigated accusations of religious unorthodoxy. Before I go onto questions about your people's religious beliefs, I think it would be prudent to ask if you're a religious official and could answer such questions."

"The position of Inquisitor," Avaakum answered, "Is a mix of secular and religious authority. I've certainly studied religion and my work involves religion quite a bit. I would say, though, that the primary purpose of an Inquisitor is to ensure public safety by making sure that everyone stays within their ethical guidelines, as well as to quash cults and ensure loyalty to the Imperium. So, yes, I think I could answer questions about religion."

Liara responded excitedly, "Excellent! I have many questions about your religion. Your God-Emperor, is he the incarnation of a deity, or is he a deity himself? Is he a creator deity, and, if not, what are his origins? Your companion mentioned that he created sons, 'primarchs' as well as legions of super-soldiers. Are any of these still in existence?"

Avaakum, in spite of his abilities, was rather shocked to find an alien would be so interested in the Imperial Cult. "Well, as far as the Emperor's nature –"

"The God-Emperor of Mankind is a living, flesh and bone man, coursing with power stemming from the aether. He is not an incarnation of a god, He is a god Himself. He is the master of mankind by the will of the gods, and master of a million worlds by the might of his inexhaustible armies." Aurelianus spoke with unbridled passion in his voice that was moving to his listeners. "The Primarchs were his greatest creations. Unfortunately, all but one remains missing, but he lives. I know this because I have seen him. Roboute Guilliman, Primarch of the Ultramarines legion, who currently leads the Emperor's armies in battle in the Emperor's stead."

"In the emperor's stead? So, the emperor is no longer living?" Liara asked, excitedly writing down the details of what the golden giant had said.

Aurelianus shook with anger at the implication that the Emperor was dead. "The Emperor is confined on his Golden Throne after suffering a wound at the hands of his traitorous son, Horus, but make no mistake, He is still alive, and his power is immense. It is by His will alone that the Imperium survives against endless onslaughts, as His power allows our fleets to navigate through the warp and delivers our forces willpower beyond that of mortal men. His Astartes save the lives of trillions of souls. I have seen His power with my own eyes, and I have heard Him speak in His throne room. You ask if the Emperor still lives, I tell you that He is deathless."

"Liara, maybe it would be best to switch topics to something less touchy than religion." Shepard was worried at what the Custodian could do if incensed to religious fury. "In fact, let's all take five. It's been a very stressful day, and I'm sure we could all use a little rest. Inquisitor, we'll see you again in thirty minutes."


End file.
